Wow its been hard to find time to write a post for this page! Crazy time. Of course, up to my eyeballs trying to read bands and get incubation dates. As many know, we do fall in love with some of our older birds and it’s particularly sad to lose one that’s been around a long time. One of my favorites did not return this spring. He would have been 18. He was a super reliable Dad and mate for so many years. I spent a few quality moments with him last fall, when it appeared that all his chicks had flown the coop and there he was, alone, basking in the autumn light. I kept hoping he might still show up this spring, but at this point I have to accept that his productive life has probably come to an end. The happy part is that one of his offspring is now 10 years old and is also a reliable Dad and mate. His photo is below....from Ann Merritt. its a joyful feeling to know that these good genes are still being passed on. I am sure he probably has grandchildren too....if only I had time to research the lineage!

I have also seen some sad, but not entirely unexpected situations. Last week I watched a male moving things around his nest, and realized what I was seeing was a face mask. This male flew off with the earloops on the mask tangled around his leg. My heart sank. He landed in a tree and he pulled at it for quite a while and eventually it dropped to the ground. Whew. But sadly that probably means some other creature may get tangled in it. PLEASE, if you are discarding a disposable mask, pull on the earloops until it tears away from the mask. This could be a death trap for a chick. Be mindful. And spread the word. I wish I had a photo to go with this plea.

Believe it not, nearly a month into the breeding season, I am just finishing all my first visits to all known nests. I think I have about two nests that I have not been to even once yet....but some have been visited more than once. Then I need to begin checking nest poles that have not been used, to see if we have any new occupants. I have found three new nests so far. Still have some bands to read too. Its such a big project now. I will have some more teaching stories coming up too...so stay tuned, tho the posts arent happening as much as I wish! Candle burning at both ends!